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Post by bee on Apr 20, 2024 16:53:55 GMT -6
frozen valley event [farm]
With very few trees in the area around the barn to block the sun, a majority of the snow and ice has melted, leaving behind many small puddles. After a night of extreme temperatures, however, the duck pond, which had yet to fully thaw, as well as the tiny pools around the barn, freeze over one last time before new-leaf’s warmer weather arrives. Although it’s a tad chilly, the sun, which remains uncovered by clouds, shines down on the duck pond and all who enjoy it. Upon finding out the pond is still covered in a dense layer of ice that some older cats deem safe to walk on, the barn cats decide to take advantage of it before the ducks return later in the first moon of new-leaf. The barn cats aren’t the only ones to enjoy the duck pond, though, and some of the more amiable loners have chosen to participate in the merriment! Most of the adult cats prefer to lounge around the edge of the duck pond where they can keep a close eye on the more excitable youngsters. Those who do find their way onto the ice may try to skate across the length of the pond or simply attempt to figure out how to avoid losing their footing. Have fun! |
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Post by tor on Apr 23, 2024 8:24:40 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/6nSHvqF/bear~png Bodies of water, for good reason, made Summit nervous. The duck pond was often reserved from these nerves because of how still it was. It possessed no current that might sweep someone away. However, frozen over like this, the duck pond presented a new problem - what if the ice broke? It was easy for cats to get complacent when the pond seemed so sturdy, and complacency meant someone could ignore the warning signs. So, naturally, when he first came out earlier that morning, Summit made everyone stand to the side while he stomped around on the ice. If it could hold his weight, then he was confident other cats would be safe. Only after the pond held steady - more than steady, it felt like stone, really - did he finally let the other cats explore, ignoring the grumbles and barbed (affectionate) jabs at his ability to be a mother hen. Better him be a bird than someone end up dead. As the morning went on, Summit tested the pond one more time, cautious of how much ice the sun might've melted away, before granting his kits permission to play. It would be good for them to socialize more. They were getting older, as much as he tried to deny it. Each passing moon saw new milestones. New growth spurts. One day, maybe even new adventures. He hoped this pond was adventurous enough for now. "Be careful!" He called out, voice booming across the gathered cats as Flicker moved too quickly, resulting in her tumbling to the ice. She was fine not two seconds later, of course, but still he worried. |
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storms make trees take deeper roots
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Post by cosmic on Apr 24, 2024 11:51:54 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/WMouXZE~png A moon, it had been, since she first arrived here. After around-the-clock car from the healers of the barn, using their herbs and cobwebs to patch her back together again, she was finally able to get up and walk around. A close eye from Percy always followed her though. Canary didn't pay much mind to it; it was nice to be able to know someone was looking out for her.
The talk of the frozen duck pond quickly made its way into her ears, as she saw the herds of cats making their way there. With the permission of an elderly healer, she made her way toward the pond as well.
The sun felt so good on her pelt, though it was now torn by the ruthless claws of the PrairieClan cats. When she finally admitted to who her attackers were to the russet she-cat, the anger was not hard to see. It sucked, really, that now she would carry the burdens of her attack. No longer did she have a perfect, untouched coat of a housecat. She was broken now, though she had her own determination to reclaim the pieces taken from her.
The calico watched the cute kits running around on the ice, causing the tom that called himself Summit quite a bit of stress. It was understandable, she couldn't imagine herself having kits in the middle of leaf-bare. Watching the tom, she felt like she owed him a bit of support, seeming as he was one of the many healers to help her a moon ago when she arrived to the barn, feverish and sickened from her wounds.
"They are still quite a handful, despite their age, hm?" she greeted the larger tom, with her eyes watching the slips and falls of the youngsters. "Need any help with them? Perhaps we could make up a game for them closer to the edge of the pond." Of course, her games always involved a human, usually with a feather on a stick or a plush mouse. But, surely these barn cats had their own version of fun. |
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Post by Erose on Apr 24, 2024 12:00:52 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/5odtLNW~png #s://i~imgur~com/5odtLNW~png So close to new-leaf (the barn cats called it spring, but its approach struck Ashfang more as a leisurely amble), the temperature plummeted overnight. He woke to a barn astir with activity, and it wasn't long before he too staggered his way out into a brisk morning. Apparently, the duck pond was frozen. How strange were twolegs that they needed a pond just for ducks? At his inquiry, Whiskey just snorts, and Ashfang feels a little more at home; even barn cats thought twolegs were dumb. Of course it has to be Summit who tested the ice. Heart in his throat, Ashfang watched from the edge and tried not to imagine it cracking, tried not to imagine the hungry black water reaching for his mate again—but it didn't. He pushed his face into Summit's fur as the tom reached solid ground again, purring in relief. Let the kits play, he thought as he settled himself on the brittle grass to catch the sunlight. They squealed and slid out on the ice, and he let his eyes close, only flicking an ear and huffing in amusement as Summit called out to be careful. He still felt like a stranger in the barn, but on days like this, with the hum of conversation around him and laughter from the playing kits filling the air, it couldn't have felt more like home. The sound of approaching pawsteps called him to crack open an eye, but it was just one of the other barn cats; he'd seen her in the healer's rest, curled up on a nest that looked long-term. What had happened to her, he wondered? Her words were directed at Summit, so he let his eye close again just to listen. Now that she mentioned it, the kits did seem nearly apprentice-aged, if they weren't already. Did Summit have any plans to train them? |
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Post by adrian on Apr 28, 2024 9:32:37 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/sgBk2ZF/flicker~png Flicker remembered the first time she was really conscious of the world. She poked her nose outside the barn and saw piles of brown leaves covered in frost that crunched delightfully under her paws. She remembered the other cats of the barn telling her snow would come soon, and that the branches of the now bare trees would be dusted in white, too. She never knew the trees full. Not really. Snow was a familiar friend, now. It was cold, so very cold, but it was a lot of fun to play in. She and her siblings dug little tunnels through the snow, as best as they could, and otherwise used it for soft landing while they tussled. It didn't truly register with her that one day, it would be warm again. And then the trees bloomed. It was like magic. She might have thought it was snow, if Summit hadn't pointed it out to her. Leaf buds followed - the first green she ever saw on trees, besides evergreens, which still felt different from other trees. The downside: it made her sneeze. The white blossoms shed light, pretty pollen into the air, and every time it wafted near her she scrunched up her nose and felt an itch. That she could do without, thank you. But the blossoms were still pretty. She thought the blossoms meant the snows were done with. But morning greeted them all with a cold just like the ones she remembered from mid-winter. And the lake was frozen! "Let's race across it!" she said, to which Summit told her they had to make sure it was safe, first. Reasonable enough. She sat on the lake's edge and watched him do his best to break the ice, without the knowledge and fear that an older cat might have about what might happen if he actually succeeded. When he was well and sure it was going to hold him, he let them go. She slipped immediately, but refused to think that was a sign of her being clumsy. "I'm okay, Dad!" she called back when he told her to be careful. "I did that on purpose!" Definitely true. But actually... it was kinda fun to slip across the ice. She tried again, more intentionally, and slid across a few paces across the slick ice. |
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Post by tor on May 4, 2024 10:06:08 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/6nSHvqF/bear~png Summit's attention was not pulled away from his kits as the calico approached. He acknowledged her by turning his ears in her direction as she spoke. Before he responded, Flicker called out from the frozen pond, and again Summit kept all his attention on her. On purpose, she said. A small smile cracked the corner of his lips. Maybe that was true. Maybe it wasn't. But, as she stood again, she slid across the ice almost as if she was skating like the older cats. Finally, he relaxed. "I suspect they'll always be a handful," he said, turning to face the she-cat. He remembered her from the time she spent in the healer's rest. What was her name? Some sort of bird, he thought. "Even as adults. Especially that one." He nodded toward Flicker, who was getting more confident on the ice with each step. "They seem to be making games for themselves. Did you have something in mind?"
Despite knowing the she-cat was harmless, Summit still hesitated to want her near his kits. She was new to the barn. Lately, newcomers left him on edge, especially knowing many of them slipped off to join Foxglove's cabin eventually. He wasn't sure if the same would happen to her. "How are you healing? I would caution you against walking on the ice, just in case."And then, unwilling to admit he was embarrassed he couldn't remember her name, Summit nodded toward Ashfang. "This is Ashfang," he added, introducing him into the conversation. "My mate." If he was lucky, the newcomer would introduce herself to Ashfang, and the embarrassment could be forgotten. |
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storms make trees take deeper roots
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Post by cosmic on May 24, 2024 11:05:09 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/WMouXZE~png Canary watched the large tom observing his children, carefully examining every move that they made like the hunters would watch their steps through the vegetation. Parenthood was something that she had never had a second thought to, as her previous life was satisfying enough without little kits running around. Plus, when she thought of being a mother, her own mind went to "Momma". Having kits in the shelter was so hard on her, and Canary could never guarantee that the same wouldn't happen if she was expecting.
But, watching the kits running around the ice was enough. Flicker, though she did not know her name, was ambitious to be skating around the ice. It was cute, still innocent to the treacherous world around them. Well, beyond the barn was. The barn had been nothing but a blessing to her.
"I wish I had a game in mind, but unfortunately, all of my games involved a Twoleg. Looks like I'm the one that could use a suggestion," she chuckled at the end of her sentence. Perhaps she could get some of the kits to teach her how they have fun between each other, without the loving (but to the loners, prying) eye of a human.
The calico she-cat nodded at the next comment, before her own eyes trailed her pelt. "I am healing well, thanks to the work that all you healers do." Percy was right, the herbs are really great for curing illness and ailments. "If there is anything I can do to repay my debt, let me know. Perhaps I can help look for herbs with you all once I am a little more mobile." Even coming out to the pond had made her quite exhausted, but she knew that she would likely be back to regular health by the time that spring truly rolled around.
The tall tom introduced his mate, Ashfang. The she-cat tried not to draw attention to the fact that she had never seen a three-legged cat, even with living with humans. Really, it was more interest than anything else, as she had reason to believe that he had lived in the wild with such a condition for a long time. "Hi, Ashfang. It's nice to meet you. I'm Canary, like the bird." A soft dip of her head in greeting followed, mesmerized by the deep blue eyes of the gray tabby. "How did you meet? I-If you don't mind sharing." When Whitney was younger, she used to read love stories from all the books on her bookshelf to Canary. Her human probably didn't think she was listening, but indeed she was. All the love stories brought back the memories of her in that house, which she longed for the feeling to come back to her. |
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Post by Erose on May 24, 2024 12:03:31 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/5odtLNW~png #s://i~imgur~com/5odtLNW~png This is Ashfang, Summit said, pulling him into the conversation. Then, as the silver warrior turned to face them, my mate. Ah. His stomach did an odd little flip. It still felt... so strange, exhilarating, to call Summit his mate, even though he'd never considered him anything else. To be open about it was a blessing. He couldn't help a hushed purr, dipping his head in a more formal greeting. When she mentioned playing with Twolegs, his purr stuttered to a halt as it clicked: she'd been a kittypet. What was she doing all the way out here? He'd always assumed a kittypet life as cushy and spoiled, irresistible to scrawny forest cats; why else would his entire family choose that life? But here was Canary, named for a bird like a free cat, battered and homeless without a Twoleg in sight. Her eyes lingered on his leg, which he expected, and then locked with his own gaze for a long, contemplative moment. What did she see there, he wondered; the too-blue hue of his eyes didn't belong in the clans, a remnant of his kittypet heritage. But if there was recognition, it didn't show on her face. Just interest. What he didn't expect was Canary's question. How did you meet, because of course she didn't know; she wasn't from the clans. She didn't know their history, couldn't draw a conclusion based on Ashfang's missing leg and Summit's former status as medicine cat. "It's fine," Ashfang told her. " He was my healer too; when I lost my leg, Summit took care of me." He gaze slipped warmly over to the larger tom, recalling the dusty sunlit aura that had seemed to follow him in the medicine den; not even the stars were so holy. He glanced at the scars on her flank; some of the scarring looked to have been dealt by a warrior's blow. Either she'd run into a clan cat or an otherwise experienced fighter. "It's lucky you're here; you couldn't find a more dedicated healer in the valley." |
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